August 2004 North Sea regions join forces in POWER project.
Five European countries bordering the North Sea have joined forces in a program to support the development of business structures and supply chains for offshore wind farms and to provide training for those who will work with wind farms. The project POWER (Pushing Offshore Wind Energy Regions) is supported by the European Commission and focuses on: 1. Planning and participation �E2. Economic supply / support chain �E3. Education �E4. Dissemination. (follow this link)

26 August 2004 Deep-water research project DOWNVInD started
Together with the announcement of a demonstration project in 40 m water depth, near the Beatrice Field off the coast of Scotland, the start of the project DOWNVInD (Distant Offshore Windfarms With No Visual Impact iN Deepwater) was made public. DOWNVInD is an �Integrated Project� in the 6th framework programme operated by the European Commission. The project aims to understand the impact of deepwater windfarms, prove the deepwater windfarm concept, share learnings across the industry and pioneer unobtrusive deepwater windfarms. (follow this link)

16 August 2004 New news policy for www.offshorewindenergy.org
As of today a new policy is introduced for news items on this website. To better match the purpose of knowledge dissemination of this website, this section will from now on focus on news about research projects and knowledge dissemination activities. To better match the purpose of knowledge dissemination of this website, this section will from now on focus on news about research projects and knowledge dissemination activities. News about wind farm developments, the industry and society can be found in numerous other sources. A good alternative on the net is provided by following the link at the end of this news-item and search news for �offshore wind energy�. (follow this link)

16 August 2004 Publications of DOWEC project now available.
The DOWEC-project, acronym for Dutch Offshore Wind Energy Converter, finished earlier this year. The reports of the work packages, an executive summary and a public report are now available on the Internet. The reports treat several concepts for offshore wind turbines, electrical infrastructure, installation and.operation and maintenance. Follow the link at the end to download the reports. (follow this link)

12 January 2004 Go ahead for Dutch windfarm Q7-WP
Although uncertainty about applicability of governmental regulations remains, construction of Offshore wind park Q7-WP is to start in 2004. Offshore wind park Q7-WP is an initiative of E-Connection, who has entered into a joint venture with Vestas - Nederland Windtechnologie, Fabricom Oil & Gas, Mammoet Van Oord and Smulders Groep for the engineering and construction. The wind farm comprises 60 wind turbines of 2 MW each. It will produce 435.000.000 kWh annually. This is equivalent to the energy requirement of 142.000 Dutch households. Permits and consents required for the construction and operation were already obtained in the spring of 2002. The wind farm will be fully operational by 2005. (follow this link)

December 2003 Vestas and NEG Micon planning to combine their businesses
With a combination of the two companies, the �new� Vestas wants Denmark to continue to be a world centre of advanced innovation in wind power technology and wind turbine manufacturing. Size, technological know-how and development as well as financial strength are prerequisites for growth and long-term survival in the highly competitive wind energy market. This is the reason why the board of directors of Vestas and NEG Micon believe that now is the time to consolidate their respective market positions through a combination of the two businesses. (follow this link)

December 2003 Strong criticism of Danish government�s offshore tender
If the Danish government fails to change the proposed terms for its invitation for bids for construction of the country�s next major offshore wind station it might as well cancel the tender, says the national wind turbine owners association. As proposed, the tender framework is worse than that which has put a stop to all wind plant development on shore, adds DV. The EU-wide tender is to be issued in the new year for the third of five 160 MW demonstration offshore wind plants. (follow this link)

November 2003 Offshore prototype of Enercon�s E-112 one step closer
With a positive preliminary decision for construction of the 4.5 MW Enercon wind turbine in the Ems near Emden, ENOVA-Unternehmungsgruppe has obtained principal agreement to build the semi-offshore-demonstration turbine. The research and demonstration unit is to be erected at the Emder south dock in 2004 in approximately 3 m water depth. The turbine and 100 m tower are to be installed from the water and use components that are likely to be used in a real offshore environment. (Link to news in German). (follow this link)

21 November 2003 UK�s first major offshore wind farm delivers green power
The UK�s vast wind power potential become a reality today when Britain�s first major offshore wind farm began to deliver electricity ashore. The North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, located 7-8 km off the North Wales coast between Prestatyn and Rhyl, was �switched on� at events staged jointly in North Wales and London by energy supplier, npower, and environmental group Greenpeace. In an address broadcast at both events, the Prime Minister praised the unique alliance between npower and Greenpeace in the wind farm project as an �unlikely partnership� and congratulated all those involved in the project. (follow this link)

30 October 2003 Arklow Bank wind farm nears completion
Ireland�s first offshore wind project, the Arklow Bank Wind Park in the Irish Sea, is nearing completion. Co-developed by GE and Airtricity, the 25 MW Arklow Bank project is owned and will be operated by GE as a demonstration platform for its new 3.6 MW wind turbine. Erection of the project�s seven GE 3.6 MW machines, the world�s first commercial application of offshore wind turbines more than three MW in size, was completed in only nine weeks. Commissioning of the units is currently in progress and the project is expected to begin producing power before the end of this year. (follow this link)

27 October 2003 New UK wind farms given go ahead
The next phase of UK wind farm development started last week with the government giving the go ahead for four new wind farms to be built. The four new wind farms are: Lynn (108 MW), located three miles off the coast of Skegness; Inner Dowsing (120 MW), located three miles off the coast, north of Skegness, Lincolnshire; Cromer (120 MW), about four miles off the coast of Cromer; Gunfleet Sands (108 MW), four miles off the coast off Clacton-on-Sea. All four projects were given consent to proceed with construction under the Transport and Works Act 1992. (follow this link)

October 2003 DNV merges wind energy expertise
DNV has created a global wind energy unit to concentrate expertise and better handle growing demand. The unit called DNV Global Wind Energy will have its head office at DNV�s premises in Roskilde, Denmark. Says Ibs�: �The global wind industry market and in particular the emerging global offshore wind industry market fit perfectly in with the cross wind turbine, marine and offshore technology competences that DNV has.� (follow this link)

July 2003 Last offshore wind turbine erected at Nysted
Sunday 28 July, the last wind turbine was erected at Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. This means that all 72 turbines have now been placed on their foundations and ten of them are already producing electricity. The placing of the turbines was started on 10 May this year, and the first turbine, C2, was put into position on 11 May. Now, less than three months later, all turbines are in place on their foundations, ready to be connected to the grid and commence production. The offshore wind farm is still expected to go into commercial operation around 1 November this year. (follow this link)

7 July 2003 New system for consents in The Netherlands
In a letter to the Chamber of Representatives two Ministers and two Assistant Secretaries of State have reported a new system of consent for offshore wind farms. The new system releases the previously selected preferential areas and allows applications for nearly the entire Dutch section of the North Sea. Until the intended implementation in 2004 an intermediate policy will be in force. (Link refers to site in Dutch!) (follow this link)

June 2003 Permit for wind farm at Thornton Bank
Belgium secretary of state for Energy and Sustainable Development, Alain Zenner, has granted a concession for a wind farm at Thornton Bank. The wind farm will be built by C-Power, a consortium of five Belgium companies and will consist of sixty turbines rating between 3.6 and 5 MW. With a distance of 37 km to Oostende, the wind farm at Thornton Bank will not be visible from the coast, a condition that contributed to rejection of the Vlakte van Raan wind farm. The wind farm will provide around 1.3% of the total Belgium electricity demand and should be operational in 2005, according to the cabinet of the secretary of state. (follow this link)

June 2003 Priority EU transmission funding to get offshore wind power to the market
Increased funding for transmission projects that could allow large quantities of offshore wind to connect to European electricity grids looks set to be passed by the European parliament this month. New guidelines for trans-European electricity and gas networks identify seven priority projects to boost electricity interconnection between member states. (Source: Windpower Monthly June 2003). (follow this link)

June 2003 Priority EU transmission funding to get offshore wind power to the market.
Increased funding for transmission projects that could allow large quantities of offshore wind to connect to European electricity grids looks set to be passed by the European parliament this month. New guidelines for trans-European electricity networks identify seven priority projects of which interconnections between Ireland-UK, UK-continent and Denmark-Germany will aid integration of offshore wind energy. (Source: Windpower Monthly) (follow this link)

May 2003 DOWEC demonstrator turbine officially switched on
The DOWEC demonstrator turbine, further developed by NEG Micon to their new offshore model NM92/2750, has officially been put into use at a festive gathering on 9 May 2003. The prototype, which is specifically designed for operation in large-scale offshore wind farms, is the first turbine to be tested at the ECN multi-Megawatt test-site in the Wieringermeer and currently the largest turbine in the Netherlands. The NM92/2750 is selected by the Shell/NUON consortium for the Egmond wind farm, which is projected to be built in 2005 and consist of 36 turbines. The turbine was put into use by Jaap Olthof, project manager of the near shore wind farm, under uncharacteristically mild wind conditions. (follow this link)

May 2003 Uncertainty about Belgium offshore wind farms
On 27 March 2003, the Council of State suspended the Ministerial Order by which the project Seanergy launched by the consortium Electrabel-Jan De Nul was granted construction and operating licences to build a wind farm at 15 kilometres off Knokke. Investments in offshore wind farms have become very uncertain, as the Council of State has suggested that the Royal Decree regarding concessions for offshore wind farms might be illegal. Two other consortia, C-Power and Zephyr, intend to build a wind farm at the Thornton bank at 27 kilometres off Ostend. (follow this link)

February 2003 GE alongside Cape Wind Associates in conflict over first USA offshore wind farm
With GE picked as supplier for the Cape Cod offshore wind station, Cape Wind Associates has gained a strong partner in its battle with the project�s opponents. On January 21 GE was announced as the supplier of 130 of its 3.6 MW wind turbine model, to be operational off Cape Cod in 2005. The respected 120-year old international energy and technology company has the clout to help smooth out some of the public relations nightmares that have plagued the Cape Cod offshore development. (Source: Windpower Monthly) (follow this link)

January 22 2003 US moves toward more offshore wind
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) welcomed the request for proposals for offshore wind power issued 22nd of January by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The announcement came two weeks after New York Governor George Pataki called for a major statewide expansion of renewable energy, and bodes well for the future of wind power in New York and the Northeast, according to the group. The LIPA request for proposals is for a minimum of 100 megawatts (MW) and a maximum of 140 MW of offshore generating capacity. There are currently no offshore wind parks operating in the United States, although several projects have been proposed along the Eastern seaboard. Offshore wind parks operate in Europe, where investment in the technology is booming. (follow this link)

December 2002 BONUS Energy A/S realises offshore wind farm Samsoe
Under leadership of a German/Belgium consortium, BONUS Energy A/S has finished the construction of the offshore wind farm at Samsoe in the Danish Baltic Sea in December last year. The wind farm consists of 10 turbines of 2.3 MW each, with a rotor diameter of 82.4 meter. With a water depth of 11 to 18 meter, the currently longest monopiles ever used for offshore wind turbines have been rammed up to 30 meters into the seabed. (follow this link)

18 December 2002 Permit granted for German offshore windfarm
The German �Bundesamt fuer Seeschiffart und Hydrographie� has granted a permit for the offshore windfarm Butendiek. This makes Butendiek the second permitted German offshore-windfarm. Butendiek will be built 34 kilometres off the coast of Sylt island and consist of 80 turbines of 3 MW each, which will be commissioned in 2006. With an investment of approximately 400 Million Euro, shared by private investors, Butendiek is currently the largest permitted offshore windfarm. More information is available on a website in German. (follow this link)

12 December 2002 All wind turbines at Horns Rev in operation
On Wednesday December 11 at 14.00 the last of the 80 wind turbines in Elsam�s new wind farm at Horns Rev was put into operation. The 80 wind turbines are placed in the North Sea 14-20 km off the coast. After commissioning the wind turbines must undergo an acceptance test, testing the functionality of the wind turbines separately and in groups before the wind turbines are finally taken over by Elsam�s and put into commercial operation. This will take place at the beginning of 2003. The wind farm is capable of producing 160 MW at full operation, and annually the wind farm is expected to produce approx. 600,000,000 kWh, corresponding to approx. 2% of the total Danish power consumption. (follow this link)

30 October 2002 New offshore foundation type used in Frederikshavn
On Wednesday October 30 the new patent pending foundation type �bucket foundation� was used for the first time in full scale. The foundation is to carry Denmark�s largest wind turbine so far, which is one of the four 125 m high offshore wind turbines to be erected off the harbour of Frederikshavn. The wind turbine to be placed on the new foundation type is Denmark�s largest � a 3 MW Vestas wind turbine. The wind turbine is expected to be placed on the foundation in week 49 and is to be in operation by the end of 2002. For time reasons the remaining three wind turbines are placed on traditional foundations and are expected to be put into operation by June 2003. (follow this link)

October 2002 Construction Offshore windpark Q7-WP in the North Sea in 2004
Early 2002 all permits for Offshore wind farm Q7-WP were irrevocably granted. The wind farm Q7-WP comprises 60 Vestas wind turbines of 2 MW each. The wind farm will produce sufficient green power for over 142.000 Dutch households and it will increase the production of wind energy in the Netherlands with more than 25%. In July 2001 (!) the Ministry of Finance was asked to confirm that the tax facility VAMIL (= non-discretionary depreciation of environmental friendly investments) is applicable in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) outside the 12 mile zone on the North Sea. Oil and gas platforms in the EEZ are eligible for this tax facility. It is common practice that with large investments such as these, investors secure the opinion of the Tax Revenue Inspector beforehand. Unfortunately the Ministry has not confirmed the applicability of VAMIL yet. (follow this link)

30 September 2002 Preliminary Permission for First German offshore wind turbine
The first offshore windturbine in German waters could be at the Port of Wilhelmshaven, on the German North Sea coast. Plans are being developed for the installation of a Enercon E-112 at a site half a kilometer offshore during 2003. (follow this link)

September 2002 Seanergy granted License for Vlakte van de Raan Windfarm
Seanergy have received concession, as well as building permit and operation permit for Vlakte van de Raan Windfarm. They are still waiting for the very last permit to be obtained, being the permit for the seacable and hope to have everything finalized by Ddecember this year. Preparations are ongoing for installation of the pilot phase (20MW) from April 2003 and final phase (80MW) in 2004. The windfarm will comprise 50 2MW-windturbines, on monopile foundations. Grid connection is through a 36kV internal grid, an offshore transformer station and a 150kV sealink to the main grid. (follow this link)

September 2002 Construction on Samso offshore windfarm about to start
The second windfarm to be built in Denmark this year should be completed by the end of this year. The windfarm consists of 10 2.3MW Bonus windturbines and is located a few km south of the island of Samso. (follow this link)

September 2002 relaunch of offshorewindenergy.org website
from September, the OWE-site will be updated regularly to include latests news on offshore wind energy developments and events (follow this link)

30 July 2002 The first electricity produced at Horns Reef wind farm
On 29 July 2002 at 8.20 pm the first turbine were commissioned and the first power generated was transferred to the national grid. This turbine is the first to be connected to the offshore substation and, as the cable installations are completed more turbines will be connected in groups of 16 turbines. Elsam initially expected to commission the first five groups of 16 turbines in early July but some repair work has to be done due to damage on the main cable: a new piece of cable, 150 m in total, will be welded in to the 5-km main cable. The repair work should be completed in the beginning of August and in meantime Elsam has decided to connect the turbine located closest to the substation to make the most of the time for testing commissioning procedures. The work with erecting the turbines proceeds for full speed, and at this moment 77 foundations has been drawn in the seabottum and 51 turbines has been raised. All 80 turbines should be in operation before the end of October at the latest. (follow this link)

17 June 2002 REPower awards contract for 5MW rotor
REPower has awarded the contract for rotor for its proposed 5MW wind-turbine to LM Glasfiber. Production of the 125m diameter rotor should begin at the end of next year (2003) and the erection of the prototype is planned for the beginning of 2004. (follow this link)

April 2002 Permission granted for second British offshore windfarm
Scroby Sands offshore wind farm will be sited off Great Yarmouth on the Middle Scroby Sands. The project was awarded statutory consents by the DTI, DEFRA and DTLR in April 2002. It is the first major UK offshore wind farm to gain such consents and construction and commission of the wind farm is planned for 2003. (follow this link)

July 2002 Offshore wind in East Anglia could supply a quarter of UK electricity needs
AEA Technology Environment has produced a �visionary plan� highlighting the potential for offshore wind power that could be accessed off the East Anglian coast. This approach was deliberately chosen to expose the actions that need to be taken now to realise this potential. The plan identifies that at least 30GW of wind farms could be installed offshore, generating some 89TWh of electricity annually by 2020.1 This represents around 25% of current UK electricity consumption. This is a challenging figure, but the results show it to be possible using today�s technology. (follow this link)

A 3 day course “An Introduction to Wind Energy\"
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